Firearms have been available for centuries. In particular, long guns, which include shotguns and rifles, have been in use since at least the 17th century. They utilize one or more projectiles which traverse the gun's barrel from pressurized gas formed by igniting a propellant. Sights have also been provided on such guns for centuries to improve the odds of successfully having the projectile(s) engage the target. Such guns can use open or closed sights or a single sight. Rifles typically have a front sight and a rear sight, while a shotgun typically has only a front sight. However, some shotguns that fire a single projectile can be provided with front and rear sights, and are commonly referred to as slug guns.
Utilizing both a front and rear sight improves shooting effectiveness. However, shotguns shooting shot shells typically rely on the skill of the shooter to effect proper aiming. Some of the shooters shoot in a manner called “instinct shooting” where basically, based on the shooter's experience, the gun is pointed from experience and the sight may not be used at all. However, many shooters do not have the experience to shoot this way or have fallen out of practice if they have not shot in a while. The less experienced shooter will utilize the front sight, and use the receiver top as a second or rear sight. However, positioning his/her head against the butt stock of the gun so that the eye is in proper alignment with the line of sight defined by the front sight and the receiver can take a period of time. When shooting skeet, trap, sporting clays or even hunting, the shooter does not have time to look down the barrel to effectively align the line of sight and the target. The shooter should instead focus solely on the target, and alignment of the gun should occur from alignment of the gun to the shooter's body.
Another problem with shooting long guns is recoil. For many long guns, recoil can be substantial, causing the gun to move backwards relative to the shooter and, in particular, the butt stock will typically move backwards relative to the cheek and jaw of the shooter, sometimes a substantial distance. Recoil felt by the shooter is determined at least in part by the amount of propellant shot, the weight of the gun, and the energy released by the propellant. The configuration of the gun also has an impact on recoil. During recoil, the entire gun and attachments move rearward, causing the shoulder of the shooter to also move rearward. Much of the total recoil energy is absorbed by the shooter and some is absorbed by the gun.
There is thus a need for a device for assisting the shooter to quickly effect alignment of the shooter's visual line of sight with the gun's line of sight that does not adversely affect the shooter from gun recoil. This is especially important when more than one target is involved. For example, “true pairs” in sporting clay shooting requires the shooter to make quick and proper alignment after recoil from the first target shot to accurately complete the second target shot.